Afghan convert leaves as Italy offers asylum

KABUL, Mar 29: An Afghan Christian convert who had faced the death penalty for abandoning Islam has left Afghanistan, a diplomat said today, while Italy said it was offering him asylum.

Abdur Rahman, 40, was jailed this month for abandoning Islam and could have faced trial under Islamic sharia law that stipulates death as punishment for apostasy.

He was freed from prison yesterday after pressure from Western states whose troops helped bring the Afghan government to power. The United Nations said he was seeking asylum abroad.

''He is not here, he is not in Afghanistan,'' said the diplomat, who declined to be identified.

News of Rahman's departure came hours after members of the Afghan parliament condemned his release and said he should not be allowed to leave the country.

The official said he had no details of Rahman's departure or where he was bound. Other foreign officials, also unwilling to be identified because of the sensitivity of the case, confirmed he had left.

An Italian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Rahman could arrive in Italy later today. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said earlier Italy would accept him.

''We will be happy to welcome a man who has shown great courage,'' Berlusconi told reporters in Rome.

Rahman's jailing raised a storm of protest in the West, with the United States leading calls for his religious freedom to be respected and for him to be released.

But at the same time, many religious conservatives in Afghanistan have demanded Rahman be punished under Islamic law, with some warning of rebellion if the government gave in to Western pressure and released him.

His whereabouts were kept secret after his release to ensure his safety, officials said.

CRITICISM IN PARLIAMENT

While his release has satisfied Western demands, President Hamid Karzai might still have to face the anger at home. His political rivals might also try to take advantage of the row, analysts say. The lower house of parliament held an unscheduled debate on the case and Rahman's release was widely criticised.

''The release of Abdur Rahman was contrary to the existing laws of Afghanistan,'' Yunus Qanuni, president of the lower house of parliament, told the assembly. ''Abdur Rahman should not flee and should not be allowed to leave Afghanistan ...'' Qanuni was speaking before Italy's asylum offer and news of Rahman's departure.

Rahman became a Christian while working for an aid group helping Afghan refugees in Pakistan 15 years ago. He later lived in Germany before returning to Afghanistan.

He was detained after his relatives told authorities he had converted to Christianity following a dispute involving two daughters. Relatives said Rahman had suffered from mental problems, although he denied that.

Judicial officials had raised questions about his mental state.

Qanuni said members of the Supreme Court and prosecutors should be summoned to explain Rahman's release.

Several members of parliament said Rahman should be executed.

President Karzai has made no public comment on the case.

Religion is a sensitive issue in deeply conservative Afghanistan.

Violent protests erupted in February over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad in European newspapers.

Last year violence broke out over a magazine report that U.S.

military interrogators had desecrated the Koran.

About 1,000 people rallied in a northern city on Monday to demand Rahman be executed but there have been no protests since.

Reuters